As part of ongoing WASC accreditation self-study, Conejo Valley Adult School conducts semi-annual Student Forums to discuss the school's programs. What are our strengths? Where do we need to improve? All students and former students are invited to participate in these Student Forums.

The last Forums were held Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2011 from 7:00 to 8:30 pm and Thursday, Oct. 6, 2011 from 9:00 to 10:30 am. The next set will be scheduled in Spring 2012; date/time TBA. No RSVP is necessary; just show up to this informal discussion. Light refreshments will be served. We value your opinions.

Sam Kane, Counselor, WASC Accreditation Self-Study Chairperson

Our students will become...

Lifelong Learners who:
• Develop goals or skills responsive to their changing world, workplace and/or personal situation
• Access and utilize information effectively
• Pursue training and courses of study that relate to their goals
• Remain current with lifestyle trends, economic developments  and technological enhancements
 
Productive individuals who:
• Use available resources effectively to achieve their goals
• Assume social responsibility by contributing time, knowledge and talents to help and serve others
• Work independently to complete tasks or collaboratively to reach common objectives.
• Engage in lifelong physical activity and mental challenges to promote independence and to enhance quality of life
 
Critical and Creative Thinkers who:
• Identify problems and apply problem solving strategies to a variety of situations
• Locate, organize and apply information
• Monitor and evaluate progress; adjust plans and goals accordingly
• Create and validate intellectual, practical, aesthetic and inventive works
 
Effective Communicators who:
• Use appropriate spoken and written language to communicate ideas in both formal and informal situations
• Read for information and understanding
• Listen objectively and respond appropriately to others
• Utilize technology and a variety of media to convey and access ideas and information

The commitment of the Conejo Valley Adult School is that at the completion of a class or program, every student will have:

• Met his/her expectations for the class or program
• Achieved a personal goal
• Gained a skill or life experience

CONEJO VALLEY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
NOTICE TO PARENTS/GUARDIANS, PUPILS, AND TEACHERS: WILLIAMS ACT COMPLIANCE, COMPLAINT RIGHTS

Pursuant to Education Code 35186, you are hereby notified that:

1. There should be sufficient textbooks and instructional materials. For there to be sufficient textbooks and instructional materials, each pupil, including English learners, must have a textbook or instructional material, or both, to use in class and to take home.

2. School facilities must be clean, safe, and maintained in good repair.

3.  There should be no teacher vacancies or misassignments. There should be a teacher assigned to each class and not a series of substitutes or other temporary teachers. The teacher should have the proper credential to teach the class, including the certification required to teach English learners, if present.

Teacher vacancy means a position to which a single designated certificated employee has not been assigned at the beginning of the year for an entire year or, if the position is for a one-semester course, a position to which a single designated certificated employee has not been assigned at the beginning of a semester for an entire semester.

Misassignment means the placement of a certificated employee in a teaching or services position for which the employee does not hold a legally recognized certificate or credential or the placement of a certificated employee in a teaching or services position that the employee is not otherwise authorized by statute to hold.

4.  A complaint form can be obtained at the school office or district office, or downloaded from the school or district web site. You may also download a copy of the California Department of Education complaint form from the following web site: http://www.cde.ca.gov/re/cp/uc.

April 2011

In a recent Dear Colleague Letter, the Office for Civil Rights ("OCR") supplemented its 2001 guidance on school districts' compliance with Title IX's prohibition against sexual harassment and sexual violence. (Dear Colleague Letter (OCR 2011) 111 LRP 23852.) OCR enforces Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in education programs or activities operated by recipients of federal financial assistance. Sexual harassment of students, including sexual violence, by other students, employees, or third parties, is a form of prohibited sex discrimination under Title IX.

Students are protected in connection with all educational programs and activities, regardless of where or when they take place. In addition, school districts may have an obligation to respond to student-on-student sexual harassment that initially occurs off campus, if the complainant continues to experience a hostile environment on campus. In evaluating complaints, school districts are required to use a preponderance of the evidence standard; in other words, whether it is more likely than not that sexual harassment or violence occurred. Even if no complaint is filed, school districts are required to respond to allegations of sexual harassment if they know, or reasonably should know, about possible harassment.

For additional information, go to:
http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/dcl-factsheet-201010.pdf